Living with GI Allergies – gastrointestinal issues

In my previous blogs I have discussed what is an allergy and also what is it like living with allergies that effect the respiratory system which in the extreme can make you wheeze and unable to breath. Just because you have allergic reaction to substances that you can breathe in, does not mean you will also be allergic to foods you consume. However, the chances of developing food allergies are higher if you already have respiratory allergies. Over the years I have become increasingly allergic to many substances that are in the food chain now-a-days. I am, thus, a nightmare to invite to dinner. I also have been asked how I can manage to live. I have retorted that I do not look like a poster child for malnourishment do I? However, I definitely have made it a point not go to dinner to anyone’s home unless I feel comfortable enough to make my food ‘demands’.

The first time I came out in urticarial rash (itchy raised red bumps) was around the age of 18. I could not understand what had caused this reaction and spent many hours cooling these bumps. They were mostly on my lower legs and I used to sit with them in a bucket of cold water. Just as with breathing issues one has to start by going through all that was consumed to try and identify the allergen. It took a few months but I worked it out that I had this reaction whenever there was a certain dish at dinner. This contained loads of black pepper and tamarind. Once I stopped having it, I did not get the urticarial rash. Strangely, I am neither actually allergic to any kinds of pepper as a spice, nor with tamarind as I can use it to spice food. So the reason for that allergy was never really substantiated.

The next few years the allergens to the respiratory system slowly increased but those related to food stuff did not. While the reaction was not showing up as a GI issue it was caused by the food consumed. But once again the allergies to foods consumed began to emerge. The classic trend was identified after years of experience and gives a picture of progress of severity of the allergy. Initial reaction was of abdominal discomfort, tendency of feeling bloated and a bit of wind or itchy lips or mouth. Then you also started having abdominal cramps. If you did not stop eating the specific food, it progressed to diarrhoea. The diarrhoea occurred quicker and with each subsequent exposure (went from loose stool to fluid stool ) to the food that I was allergic to. Since this is the body’s method of getting rid of harmful substance.

Surprisingly, I have never found vomiting to be a symptom. It appears that vomiting maybe more common symptom of food poisoning, at least for me. I do need to point out here that the progress described above is a picture of what happens when one slowly gets allergic to a particular substance. This is related to the repeated exposure to the allergic food that builds and becomes more sever over each exposure. Conversely, you can have a sever hypersensitivity reaction even with the first exposure to any food substance. I have has the displeasure of suffering such a reaction to having pumpkin. I have actually never liked it and had not eaten it since I was a child. Even then it was not something my mother cooked (thank god).

One day I was invited to dinner by a colleague and they made sure they got down all the items I was allergic to and that it was to be vegetarian dinner. Well they made some pumpkin curry. I felt obliged to try some for how can a grown woman and a dinner guest say I hate that. I had a table spoon of that curry. By the time we finished dinner, I felt bloated. Within half hour my abdomen was really bloated and I actually had to bend backwards to allow my lungs to fill up. Then I started feeling swelling come up my throat and was wheezing in earnest. I had only my inhaler with me and not my antihistamine tablets. Oh what a mistake that was, one I never made again in life. I used my inhaler a few times and just concentrated on my breathing. I kept a posture that would allow maximum lung expansion. My poor hosts, they were having kittens and were white faced thinking they were responsible for my condition. Strange they never asked me back! It took a couple of hours to calm down and I sat till late in their home as getting into the car and driving home in that condition was not a wise course of action. So after that anaphylactic shocked mentioned in the earlier blog, this was my second sever out of the blue reaction. I have had a couple of near brushes like this when I have not been careful.

The approach to identifying the food that acts as an allergen is equally hard as identifying those which produce respiratory allergies. Sometimes it is fairly simple, as if it is something you do not often eat then the reactions leave a much clearer trail to the cause. For example, identifying soya allergy was not too difficult as the symptoms came every time I had Chinese food. I used to enjoy it but did not have it very often. The one ingredient that we do not use in Indian cooking was soy sauce and is the main spice in Chinese cooking. I specifically cooked with all things I normally eat at home by making a stir fry and added soy sauce the first time. The second time, I did not use soy sauce. The difference was evident right away. So that was the first thing to be removed from my diet.

Subsequently I have got allergic to mushrooms, pumpkins, melons, squashes, cooked bell peppers, cauliflowers, lettuce, pumpkin seeds, goji berries and kiwi fruit. I found that in UK I could not eat bananas as it immediately caused a severe itch around my mouth and throat. Yet I could eat them when I went away on holiday. The only thing I can assume is that mostly bananas are imported into UK unripened. Then chemicals are used to ripen them and that is what I am allergic to. One would think that the spray would be only on the skin and without that it would be all right. But if I am reacting to the banana it must mean that the chemical is somehow absorbed into the fruit. I used to try a grape in the shop and if my mouth itched I would not buy it so again I link it to any chemical sprays used in growing the grapes. I also found it hard to eat apples, pears and other soft fruits hard to eat without a good washing in running water. I am a lot better at eating fruit now in Australia but I will not try the melons or kiwi fruit.

I was brought up as a child on vegetable oil / peanut oil as well as ghee (clarified butter). But I found over time if I had ghee I got the GI symptoms. I had to stop having any of the margarines as they started adding soy lecithin. I started using olive oil and that has been suitable. Indeed using the olive oil margarine is fine as it does not have soy added in it. I have had sever reaction and asthmatic attack with rapeseed oil (oh I am allergic even to the rapeseed pollen), grape seed oil, canola oil and palm oil.

Well the best tip I can give to finding out what your particular poison is by keeping a daily dairy of what you are consuming. If you have made it yourself it is easier but if you are having processed foods, takeaways, eating out often it becomes harder to identify what is being consumed. The processed foods have such long labels and words which are hard to decipher. The labelling laws are different in different countries so again they may or may not have all the ingredients listed. The additives often get written as E numbers and of course we do not keep all those numbers in our heads. I find it easiest to read the label for every product every single time (even if I buy is regularly) for any familiar allergens. I advise everyone should do the same, as once or twice I have been caught out when the manufacturers have changed the ingredients. For example, I used to have a particular brand of bread, it was healthy and not the white plastic bread. I had it for years and suddenly one day I started feeling bloated. I could not understand why as I was not eating anything different. While shopping I by chance picked up the bread and read the label……Oh my!!!! It had soya flour added as flour enhancer. I went through the whole bread aisle and found all had soya flour.

So keeping a diary will help to eliminate by trial and error. It is a slow process and if you can get medical assistance to find the allergens it would be helpful. Also form a habit of reading every single label of every single food you buy every single time before you buy. Tedious you may think but it becomes a habit soon enough. As for eating out well its hard I admit it. I try out restaurants and ask if they will cater to my needs. Most often I can get away with Indian places (the only worry being the use of different oils and ghee). However, I hear that now in India as well they are adding soy as a flour enhancer. I can have Italian as I can avoid my allergens fairly well and yes they have not started enhancing their flour with soy so pasta and pizzas are a safe bet. Similarly I can have some Mexican dishes. Some restaurants are good and will even get the chef out to talk to me and organise my meal around my allergies. Once you find these good suitable eateries stick with them.

I also always keep handy some antihistamine in my purse and of course I would keep my inhaler too when I was bad with respiratory symptoms. It is best to take then as soon as you find out you have eaten something by mistake or first symptoms makes its appearance. I have often heard people say oh you allergy is not so bad, have it and eat your antihistamine. This is dangerous and I cannot emphasis that enough, for the reaction gets stronger  and lasts longer every time you eat the food you are allergic to, just as I pointed out with respiratory allergies. The bottom line as I see it – it will kill me and then it is not so hard to let go of the foods most loved. Good luck to all of you who have food allergies.

Living with Respiratory Allergies – Breathing issues

Living with allergies can both be easy and hard. It is hard when you cannot find what you are allergic to, what you cannot avoid and what then you come in contact often. Also it is hard when medication cannot fully control the allergic reactions. It is easy to live with when you can find out what it is you are allergic to and can avoid it easily, when you only come in contact with the allergen by accident and when medication works immediately to fully control the symptoms. 

I explained in my earlier blog (Allergy - What is it?) that when the body recognised any substance as foreign it causes a reaction in the body to get rid of that substance. This is a reaction we want when the invading substance is harmful like a bacteria or virus. However, if this reaction occurs when we come in contact with what are considered harmless substances, we call it an allergy. Over the years more and more people have become allergic to more and more substances. I am not sure what it says about our life styles and our food and use of chemical in daily life. 

My first encounter with allergy was seeing my mother come out in urticaria (raised red bumps that itch a lot) upon eating a Gujarati dish called patra (made with taro leaves and besan / chickpea flour). I do believe she used to react a bit to the sourness of tamarind. But I was little and did not really understand except that she was given a tablet (Foristal) which was a common antihistamine in those days in India. 

At 18 I started a nursing degree and bed making, cleaning and dusting was part of the care (unlike now when we have auxiliary workers or aides). I noticed towards the end of the first year I used to start sneezing at soon as I started dusting. My nose was itchy and it was just annoying. It is very difficult to avoid dust, especially if you live in a country like India and with a job like mine.

I used to react with breathless feeling when I used any talc or facial powder and so I by the time I reached adulthood I had given up using that totally. I also noticed that I would react badly to some perfumes used by my friends and colleagues. I had to leave the area very quickly as I would sneeze non-stop. This allergy progressed to a point where I could not use any perfume, deodorant, any sprays for body or hair. I could actually taste it in the back of my throat and it made me feel ill and wheeze. The dust allergy used to constantly irritate the mucous membranes of my eyes, nose and throat and I was having repeated infections – tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, bronchitis – generally needing about 3 or 4 rounds of antibiotics each year. 

I visited an allergist and decided to find out exactly what all I was allergic to. Well that turned even my allergist’s hair grey in a second as she conducted the tests. Dust being the already known allergen she carried out that test last. Just to let you that generally very dilute forms of the allergen are injected just under the skin and if you are allergic then that injection site will become a red raised weal. The size of the weal is indicative of how allergic you are. Thus a few days later the allergist will measure the size of the weals. This showed that there were about 7 different pollens that I was allergic to. Now coming to dust, which was left to the last, caused me to collapse even before the doctor has put the needle away. This is what is called an anaphylactic shock. I needed immediate resuscitation.

In relation to this severe allergy I tried going through desensitisation therapy but had to abandon it as even the extremely low dilution was causing difficulty and then my allergist moved away.

Around this time I also moved to UK and the change in the environment and the lower levels of dust made a big difference and I felt so much happier not having to wheeze or get repeated infections. A year went by peacefully and then wham hay fever hit me. By this time I was getting allergic to cosmetics like lipstick and mascara which caused the skin to peel and eyelashes to fall off. That got removed from my daily life fast. With hay fever I was taking antihistamine daily. The season started with the first cherry blossoms and ended when the grass died out at the end of summer. 

Fortunately, I used central heating appropriately so there were no mould issues as they also send me into a wheeze and tight chest. I found about that allergen when I stayed at some crappy hotel which had mouldy pillows and mattress. I had 3 showers and washed my hair before I realised what exactly was causing the problem. Needless to say I got no sleep and had antihistamine and inhaler a few times. During summer, life got adapted to be indoors more, keep windows closed and use a fan to keep the room cool and also I got an ioniser for my bedroom. They use very little energy and keeps the room free from dust motes. 

Cleaning was also something I had to think about. When we had the old hoover with dust bags I was unable to clean the carpets as it tended to send up dust particles in the air as soon as the bag was partly filled. It fell to my husband to do the hoovering. However, when we got the new bag less one I had no problems as the dust was always sucked in rather than spread around. Any dusting had to be done with a damp cloth so as not to raise and spread the dust about.

Also it becomes important to use the hoover on the mattress and also sofas and chairs covered with cloth to remove dust. I also found that I could not use down filled pillows and had to buy the hypo allergic ones. Since more people are aware and more products with regards to mattresses, mattress covers and pillows are made for people with dust allergies. I also changed my open cabinets for knickknacks to closed ones so as to avoid the dust gathering and the need to dust it often. 

My sister also used to get hay fever but was mainly related to grass pollen. She used homeopathic pills and they helped her. Whereas, that remedy did not make any difference for me. Then one day I saw a poster for massage at my local beauticians. So I made an appointment and during the session I found out that she was an aroma therapist. She agreed to use specially mixed oils to help my breathing issues due to allergy. I used to have a full body massage with the oil every fortnight. The effect was good. Sadly she stopped coming to the local place and it was hard to go to where she has moved her practice. However, I actually used to buy the mixed oils from her. Finally that was getting very expensive and I started buying and mixing my own oils. After a shower I applied the oil all over my body and massaged it in gently. After about 6 years I found that I no longer reacted to hay fever and actually did not need to use my inhaler either. These days I keep handy a bottle of cypress oil (which was one of the oils in the mix and works best for me) and use a drop should I feel that familiar twitching of the nose and sneezing starting.

So going from, when grass ha to be mowed at least a week before my visit to family who had gardens, I now have a garden and mow my own grass. I used to avoid going to park but now try regularly to have a walk around the park and see the changing seasons in nature. I find it a good exercise as well as relaxation method to see the flora and fauna.

The allergy caused by the perfumes and deodorants are harder to avoid as practically everyone uses them. I actually hold my breath or a tissue over my nose when I have to pass through the cosmetic section of any departmental stores. Sometimes you pass someone on the road and they have so much sprayed on that you can taste it. It annoys me often but unless someone suffers they have no idea what it is to live with this kind of allergy and so cannot show compassion. I had to always warn people when they were coming to see me and expected my office door to be shut for privacy or even in the classroom that I did not want people to wear any perfumes. Those who wore some sat by an open window generally. So you see some allergies can be managed better than others. 

Hope this helped those of you who have allergies that manifest in respiratory symptoms. I will tackle the food allergies in the next blog so as to keep the reading in discrete chunks.